Discover more about days gone past with stories on everything from vintage transport to great Britons and from Christmas traditions to great days out

Enjoy regular reader favourites such as Treasures in the Attic, 1940’s Post, Postcard from… and of course our Puzzle Page and Crossword

We hope you like reading our magazine as much as we love compiling it. In the meantime here is this month’s letter from our Editor, Simon Stabler…

Now, That’s MagicIt doesn’t seem five minutes since we were welcoming in 2016 and now here I am “putting to bed” the last issue of the year. It’s been a year that has seen more downs than ups – unless you count the rising costs of food, transport and housing – so what better to chase away the gloom than an exclusive interview with Ken Dodd? He’ll be 90 next year and it’s heartening to know that Ken’s still doing the thing he loves the most, getting up on stage and making an audience laugh.

There’s no denying that Paul Daniels was a talented, technically-minded magician who could be considered the heir to Houdini, Maskelyne and the like, but his abrasive public persona often left a lot to be desired. Having spoken to many people who worked with him since his death in March, including the writer of our behind-the-scenes look at The Paul Daniels Magic Show, it seems he was a very nice guy in real life. The grumpiness was just an illusion, a way of diverting curious audiences from the secret behind the trick, and I’m delighted to put the record straight.

Talking of wonders to behold, in this issue we also look at optical toys such as kaleidoscopes, magic lanterns and View-Masters. I’m sure many of you received such items as Christmas presents over the years, along with Meccano and train sets, which are celebrated in this seasonal issue.

Our Food & Drink section recalls wartime Yuletides, where culinary cunning was the order of the day, while the true meaning of Christmas isn’t forgotten with our feature on the selfless Salvation Army leader Evangeline Booth.
I wish you and your families a very healthy and happy Christmas, and I look forward to sharing another year with you in 2017.

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